Lawsuits: Berkeley Co. inmates were not cared for before death - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (AP) - Berkeley County faces a pair of lawsuits by the estates of inmates who have died in the jail in Moncks Corner.

The lawsuits say the inmates with serious medical conditions died because they did not get proper medical care.

Sheriff Wayne DeWitt told the newspaper he must take anyone charged with a crime, regardless of their medical condition.

An attorney for the county, Sandra Senn, says it's hard to determine which inmates are really sick.

The latest lawsuit in September says a man convicted of shoplifting and animal nuisance was not properly treated for bipolar depressive disorder, Hepatitis C, cirrhosis of the liver and other problems.

A suit in April says an inmate was improperly treated for alcohol withdrawal.

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